Before actually becoming a scientist, I had a particular view of what a science career was about. Part of this view came from reading biographies of famous scientists, but a big part came from being the child of scientist who is not famous but very successful. My experiences in grad school and during my postdoc have been a great disillusionment, despite the marvelous intellectual experiences and the caring and inspiring mentors it’s been my privilege to work with. You’re probably thinking, well duh, anyone in any career hits a point of disillusionment because nothing is every as glamorous as it seems from the outside, except perhaps the life of a billionaire hedge fund manager. (If you make more than $100 million annually, I don’t want to hear any shit about your life not being as glamorous as it seems… it’s plenty glamorous.)
Back to science careers – as I’ve discussed before, there is some external evidence that my impressions aren’t simply the natural impatience of someone near the end of the long so-called training period. Here’s one more report on the issue, this time from way back in 2001, when the NIH budget was still on a path to doubling and long before R01 grant success rates hit an all-time low in 2011:
“Careers and Rewards in Bio Sciences: the disconnect between scientific progress and career progression” (PDF): Continue reading “Science career pessimism: it’s not just me”
The Finch and Pea 